Hero's Dreams
by Darakna
Summary: There were some things that were obvious, and some which were not. Cloud and Zack dreaming in Nibelheim - Crisis Core.


**Author's Note:** I don't usually write fanfiction, but my friend has this obsession with sleeping guys and I just had to do it.

Music while writing: Serenata Immortale - Immediate Music.

**About:** Cloud and Zack - just arrived in Nibelheim ... before the Seph going crazy stuff. I think it was the first night in Nibelheim when they shared a room. Anyways - short thing to read, my friend liked it ...

If you are a little less obsessed with this, you might find some grammar mistakes, if you do, you speak up. I was writing that at 4 am and English isn't my first language.

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There were some things that were obvious, and some which were not. Two people sleeping didn't tell much about them or their relationship to a person who saw only obvious things. But if a person watched them carefully, the bond between them could be seen as clearly as stars on the Nibelheim sky.

Cloud and Zack were two completely different people while awake. Zack full of energy, always moving, doing squats and being completely ignorant about the word phrase: staying still for a moment. Cloud on the other hand didn't move unless the move had a purpose.

But when sleeping they were the same. Turned towards each other on separate beds - an observer would be wondering if they would cuddle if there wasn't a non-bed space between them. They both had a small smile on their lips, like they knew what the other one was thinking, their eyes shut and their minds in the world of dreams, where nothing reminded them about their status. Zack, a first class SOLDIER and Cloud a simple Shinra guard. They both were only in sweat pants – the gun and the sword that brought back so many memories lay forgotten at the closet.

Somehow you could tell the color of their eyes, even though they were closed. Cloud with his bright blue eyes that could see through everything, but held the innocence and gentleness of a small pup, and Zack's violet eyes that were just searching for the thing he could do next without someone taking notice – but always did.

Cloud always slept on his left side; hence most of his hair was growing in the opposite direction, Zack on his right, his hair sprawled on the pillow behind him. Facing each other like that they could be sharing the same dream, where they were the same rank, and in the same fight, with the same powers … and where friends didn't die or needed to be killed by their hand. Their naked chests were slowly moving with their breathing – Cloud's mostly being covered by the sheet, while Zack's sheet were in a messed up state next to him. They were both well built, even though Cloud was still a bit boyish. Zack – tanned and Cloud with his fair skin and you couldn't have imagined them being any different from that.

You have no idea when their world collided, but right now they looked like long lost friends, brothers – some connection between them even most pairs didn't have.

Then something happened. It was a barley noticeable thing. Zack's smile widen in a smirk and Cloud frowned just a second after that. It was like there was some sort of disturbance in the air that made them both react, but in a different way. Of course maybe they actually _did_ share the dream; it was known to happen to two people who knew each other well … even if just for a short time – sometimes those bonds were the strongest.

Zack's smirk turned in a grimace and Cloud breathed into his pillow with a sigh, his frown disappearing. The smiles returned on their faces and Zack turned around, facing the ceiling. He wriggled his nose, smile disappearing again and then a loud sound disrupted the silence.

Cloud snuggled deeper into the soft pillow, frown returning, eyes shutting tighter. Zack snorted again and the blond murmured something in his sleep.

And then it happened again. They couldn't know what the other one was doing and yet black-haired Zack moved again onto his side, stopped with the snoring and deepened his head into the pillow and messed up sheets. A smirk returned to his face and Cloud smiled as well. There was a soft 'm-hm' from Zack's side and loud sigh form Clouds that could be translated into rolling his eyes.

After a moment there was some tension in their muscles, both of theirs, and their smiles became wider, even Clouds. There was a move from Zack as he bucked backwards – almost reaching the end of the bed – and Cloud brought his knees higher, making his position of a fetus even more distinguished.

Zack turned around, his arm hanging over the edge of the bed and just when his body would follow it, Cloud made a small motion of a kick with his leg, his thin sheets being pulled lower, and Zack rolled over again, facing his room-mate.  
Soft chuckle escaped Zack's lips and Cloud frowned a little, but at the next second his smile returned and Zack was the one frowning. He hummed, smirked and murmured something along the lines of: "Oh, smart move."

Cloud actually chuckled at that. "Thanks. Not so bad yourself."

Zack hummed and then they both moved again. Zack's back stretched all the way it could, vertebras cracking on some places, and Cloud panted heavily as his fingers grabbed the pillow like grabbing someone forearm before the hit came. Once Zack was back in his usual position, Cloud let the pillow go.

"Hey, Cloud," the black-haired man said softly. "We're friends, right?"

The blond chuckled at that and exhaled softly, nodding with fast motion. "Right."

There were some things that were obvious, and some which were not. To a non-observant person, these were nothing more than a few coincidental moves, but to a person who could actually see beyond seen these were two men who just had a spar in their dreams. A person, who could believe in such a thing, would know that if these two wouldn't be connected through some invisible line, the Lifestream itself would be in danger. A believer would know that if something happened to that invisible line, the whole balance that held the planet's life at peace would be history.

That was how hidden bonds became stronger … that was how two completely different people mended their soul's wounds … that was how heroes dreamt … and that was one thing that they had – to loose.

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End file.
